Director's Visit to Germany and Switzerland 2008

The director of JLSS, Rev. George D. Haddad, visited Germany from the 14th to the 20th of November 2008. He also visited Switzerland from the 20th to the 25th of November 2008.
His program in Germany included attending meetings of both the standing committee and the general assembly of EVS (Evangelischer Verein für die Schneller-Schulen), preaching in the Savior's Church - Stuttgart (der Erlöserkirche), visiting FESTO to thank its manaement for the wonderful support FESTO is providing to JLSS and to discuss future cooperation. His visit included visiting different BBW Waiblingen centers, other vocational training centers and industries, and some farming projects. He also visited the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Stuttgart and its vocational training school. The visit also included going to Wasserburg Am Inn and meeting with the Rotary club there to thank its members for their wonderful support to JLSS and to discuss future projects.
His visit in Switzerland included meeting with the board of the Schweizer Verein für die Schneller Schulen im Nahen Osten. He visited BFF (Berufs-, Fach- und Fortbildungsschule) in Bern where he met its director Dr. N. Ludi and saw its fashion design school. He also visited Olaf Asteson-Haus and met its director Mr. Andreas Schutter and his wife Esther with their wonderful team of dedicated workers. He was able to see small scale farming work and vocational training projects successfully supporting the center as is hoped to achieve some time in JLSS. He also visited a boarding home for children with difficulties, met the director Mr. Kissling, and discussed future cooperation with him especially in providing the JLSS Head of the Boarding Department, Mr. Martin Bernhard, with pedagogical support and training. Rev. Claire Chimelli kindly organized and hosted his visit to Geneva on Sunday 23rd of November which started with attending the Sunday service in the Auditoire de Calvin of the Church of Scotland - Geneva. The day was spent walking around Geneva and exploring its beautiful sites including the International Museum of the Reformation, and Cathedrale Saint-Pierre with its amazing archeological site. Monday was spent in Zurich first visiting an engineering company, OIKOS, and meeting with its senior architect, Mr. Jörg Watter to discuss future cooperation with JLSS especially in relation to bringing insulation of homes know-how to JLSS through possible future joint projects.  He then spent the rest of the day meeting with Dr. Scilla Elworthy, who had flown from the United Kingdom to meet Rev. Haddad and Mr. Schmitter to discuss Conflict Transformation and its implementation through religious education in JLSS.
We express our most sincere gratitude to our friends and partners in Germany and Switzerland for arranging both visits which will very much impact the work of our school and enhance its ministry to needy children.